Fight over changes to Melbourne Cup holiday

Updated
May 18, 2011 15:23:00

The Melbourne Cup may no longer be the race that stops the nation if some contentious legislation comes into force. The legislation now in parliament would allow regional councils to replace the cup day holiday, with another day - and keep residents in country Victoria working on the Melbourne Cup public holiday. Some residents are in favour of the move, because could mean public holidays on their local show days instead. But unions argue that working on Melbourne Cup day is un-Australian.

ELEANOR HALL: The Melbourne Cup may no longer be the race that stops the nation

Legislation now before the Victorian Parliament would allow regional councils to replace it with another holiday and keep residents in country Victoria working on Melbourne Cup day.

Some residents are in favour of the move because that would mean they could have holidays on their local show days instead.

But unions argue that working on Melbourne Cup day is un-Australian.

In Melbourne, Liz Hobday reports.

LIZ HOBDAY: Show day in the northern Victorian farming town of Numurkah is an institution that's just as popular in the area as the Melbourne Cup.

The town has been granted a holiday to celebrate the show for more than 60 years.

Sue Aldridge is the secretary of the Numurkah Agricultural Society.

She says Labor government changes in 2008 meant the town couldn't take time off to attend its own show.

SUE ALDRIDGE: The main problem is schools of course, because the children want to go to our show and we need the children. Without children we don't have a show.

They've had to I suppose the word is wag school to come to our show.

LIZ HOBDAY: She's hopeful the Coalition Government will fulfil its election commitment to let regional councils decide when towns can use the cup day holiday, including the option of having two half day breaks.

And she says the town's students are all for it.

SUE ALDRIDGE: They've had a bit of a campaign too, the students, and we've had more children at our show I think the last three years than we've ever had.

But I feel it's unfair. It's unfair to the schools and to the children.

They should have a special day - that it's off and it's legal and that's what we are hoping for.

LIZ HOBDAY: But Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Brian Boyd says the new laws are mean-spirited.

BRIAN BOYD: It's iconic. It's one of those things that makes us Australian and I think this move by the Baillieu Government to cut the regional and country Victorians to just two half days will spoil that fun.

LOUISE ASHER: That's a silly comment because I would have thought it was very Australian to allow country communities to determine their own substitute Melbourne Cup day holiday, and part of this rationale is to allow country communities to support country racing events and country show events.

LIZ HOBDAY: She says regional cup days and agricultural shows have lost support from their local communities over the last three years since the changes were introduced.

LOUISE ASHER: Correspondence has come into the Government saying that what country people want is to have their option to choose their substitute Melbourne Cup day.

LIZ HOBDAY: The Trades Hall Council executive met late last week to discuss the legislation.

Brian Boyd says a half day break is impractical.

BRIAN BOYD: They have to go to work for half a day then they'll have to go home and change if indeed the half day is around the local cup celebrations.

So the whole thing becomes impractical in terms of having to work a half a day to celebrate it.

LIZ HOBDAY: Some regional councils seem to be quite happy about the move because it means that people can go to local cup days. Is this a case of the union movement perhaps being too city-focused?

BRIAN BOYD: The exact opposite. In fact we want our country cousins, our fellow workers in the country to enjoy a full day off just as we do in metropolitan Melbourne.

So it's equality we're looking for and this bill doesn't allow that to happen anymore if it goes ahead.

LIZ HOBDAY: The legislation will soon be up for debate in the Victorian Parliament.